The village of Bramham in West Yorkshire was the hottest place in the country, recording 24.3C on the thermometer this afternoon.

The best weather over the bank holiday weekend is expected in southeast Wales and around the Bristol Channel.

Other areas of the UK are expected to see temperatures reaching the high teens and early 20s.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said the bank holiday conditions were a rarity in how dry it was expected to be.

"We're slowly getting there. Hints of summer," Mr Partridge said.

"For a bank holiday weekend, it's pretty rare to be that dry and sunny, so we're not doing too bad."

The Met Office said the dry, hot weather is expected to continue into next week.

Chief forecaster Paul Gundersen said: "The jet stream sitting to the north of the UK is holding unsettled weather systems at bay and allowing high pressure to dominate, bringing fine weather to the vast majority of the UK.

"The current position of the high pressure means we will see a westerly air flow over the UK, a cooler direction than if air was being brought up from the south, and areas such as Spain or Africa.

"Therefore, we are not likely to reach heatwave conditions, but temperatures will still be warm, reaching the low 20s for many."

UK weather: The latest Sky News forecast

In less thankful news, the pollen count for England and Wales was also high on Saturday as grass pollen season began.

It is expected to remain high until the current hot spell breaks.

Pollen count for Scotland and Northern Ireland was moderate/low, as these areas remain in the tree pollen season.

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Meanwhile, a travel expert said he was expecting the busiest late May bank holiday on the roads since before the pandemic.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: "We fully expect families to make the most of the largely fine weather over the coming days.

"Into next week and half-term for many parts of the UK, day trips will also be a big feature, with popular routes to the coasts and countryside becoming busy.

"Getting away early in the morning or delaying trips until the evening are the best way to avoid the inevitable delays.

"No-one wants a breakdown to get in the way of them and time with family and friends, yet so many of the jobs our patrols will go out to are completely avoidable if drivers complete a few checks before they get out onto the open road.

"Ensuring oil and coolant levels are where they should be is a must, as is checking tyres are free of damage and are properly inflated."